This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art, which may be related to various aspects of the present invention that are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Digital content, such as computer games on a DVD, that hereinafter will be used as an example, is very coveted, for example by pirates who wish to copy and disseminate it, usually for financial gain. On a smaller scale, such computer games are often stolen by persons who may think that they are too expensive to buy.
Naturally, copy protection of pre-recorded media is a field that has been extensively explored exploiting techniques as diverse as for example encryption (Advanced Access Content System, AACS, and Content Scrambling System, CSS), non-standard layouts, and introduction of errors for anti-ripping solutions. However, these techniques remain static and are therefore not likely to withstand piracy in the long run. Other approaches, such as for example Self Protected Digital Content (Kocher P., et al., Cryptography Research 2002) introduce a modicum of renewability.
The most promising solution seems to be the combination of an active component and the static medium, in which the active component participates to the copy protection system. One such solution is the use of so-called dongles that must be connected to the computer for a specific hardware to run properly.
At the same time, Radio Frequency Identity (RFID) tags are already employed in anti-theft systems. A tag detector portal spots attempts to pass through with an active tag, but this kind of systems may relatively easily be circumvented.
It can thus be appreciated that there is a need for a solution that improves the copy protection of the art.
The present invention provides such a solution.